I try to control the purse strings around here. I pretty much succeed, except on the GIANT purchases like a secret lawnmower. Or on the very small, like breakfast/lunch on Thursday.
Farmer H had business in, around, and on the journey back from Casino Town. We left home at 10:15, and stopped at a McDonald's for The Pony to have a Sausage Biscuit Combo, Farmer H to have the 2 for $4 Sausage Egg McMuffins, and me to have a Filet O Fish. I like singing that song from years back: "Gimme that Filet O Fish, gimme that fish!" sung by a mechanical wall bass.
Anyhoo... as Farmer H finished ordering at the drive-thru, the gal said, "That's $12.85. Do you want to round up and donate your change to Ronald McDonald House Charities?"
Let the record show that I have nothing against sick children who need a place for their families to stay while they're getting treatment. But I DO like to investigate charities to see if the money actually goes where it's purported to go. I have my regular charities that I donate to, and don't take kindly to being pressured at assorted drive-thru windows and checkout lines.
Before I could say anything, Farmer H said, "Sure."
And the gal said, "That will be THIRTEEN DOLLARS."
Well. I was stewing like a tough cut of meat in a crockpot! Why should we donate our change? Farmer H was paying with a debit card. It's not like there was a coin shortage and he was doing them a favor. Not saving anybody from handling VIRUSy money. Why would anybody want to round off their purchase? Are we barrelling down the plastic highway at the speed of light, next exit Cashless Society?
I had no objection to the specific charity (until I looked it up later). Just the principle. I wasn't even upset about losing 15 cents from the rounding. Nope. I had another objection.
"WHY in Not-Heaven would you do THAT? We are on our way to the CASINO, and you're putting THIRTEEN dollars on our debit card!"
Uh huh. We traipsed around that casino with a $13 albatross-medallion figuratively hanging around our gambling necks! To add insult to injury, Farmer H left $40 ahead, and The Pony and I were losers. Such a bitter pill to swallow, that Farmer H reaped luck from that unlucky 13.
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Later, I found this interesting article about how McDonald's takes credit for Ronald McDonald House Charities, yet donates less than CUSTOMERS, and less than their corporate partners, while reaping the Do-Goody reputation. Sorry to the kids that I wanted to withhold 15 cents. Not sorry to the corporation that only donates 0.32% of its pre-tax profits to charity. I didn't see any information that said the donations go for anything besides helping the kids. It's the purported fact that the customers give 14X as much money to the charity as McDonald's.
I'm pretty sure they don't ask customers if they want to round DOWN to the nearest dollar...
I volunteer (cook meals) at our local Ronald McDonald House. I do it because a friend of mine has a pacemaker--has had one since she was 17--and her family stayed at the facility during her surgery.
ReplyDeleteIt's easy to see where my "donation" goes. The groceries I buy, the meal I make, feeds the families of the kids who are at Cardinal Glennon Hospital.
It's quite disturbing to see the data. As much money as McDonald's makes, they should be way more generous.
I don't blame you for not rounding up. I'm extremely particular about the charities I donate to. For example, I used to walk in a famous breeast cancer walk. When I found out the CEO of that charity made $940,000 every year, I stopped.
I always say no to rounding up 'for charity', mostly because I don't trust charities to help the needy before lining their own well-feathered nests and also because I need those few pennies myself, seeing as how I'm not a charity CEO or anything like that.
ReplyDeleteUnknown,
ReplyDeleteWhen I worked at the unemployment office, we were kind of "required" to pick a charity from the United Way to donate through check withholding. At least they gave us a pamphlet (it was the olden days, our computers were only CRTs) to peruse and make our choice. I don't remember which one I picked, but it was one with the lowest administrative costs. Some of them took over 50 percent!
At Newmentia, teachers were "strongly advised" to donate through the local United Way, but not strong-armed to do it, like the state of Missouri did.
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River,
It bothers me to think of the average earners who eat at McDonald's, and want to do something good "for the kids." To think of them giving their change, and what percent of their income it might be, compared to the percent that corporate giant McDonald's is giving.
I've been at schools where we were "stongly advised" to give to the United Wazy too--so the district could claim 100% participation. I said I would gladly give a contribution directly to a charity like Salavation Army, instead of through the United Way...
ReplyDelete---Sioux/Unknown
Unknown Sioux,
ReplyDeleteOf course I caved in to the "suggestion" at school. I think I picked a local food pantry with low administrative costs. It's different if it's a local organization, too.